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Tag Archives: China

Whether its a hotel, restaurant, or just an office building, who says it has to look normal and boring? Although some of these buildings are probably going to make you wonder what kind of crazy thoughts the architect was thinking, it’s hard to not appreciate the creativity involved. These are some of weirdest buildings in the world.

2012 Summer Olympics kicked off with a huge Opening Ceremony in London’s new Olympic Stadium, an event watched on television by an estimated 1 billion viewers. Performances paid tribute to British heritage and culture, from agrarian beginnings through pop culture successes like the Beatles and J.K. Rowling. Contingents from more than 200 nations marched in the athletes parade, and the evening was capped off by the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, a performance by Paul McCartney, and a huge fireworks display. Collected below is just a glimpse ceremony, as the 2012 Olympics are now underway.

In south-west China’s Yunnan province it produced a stunning vista as rock hillocks peep from a carpet of neon yellow by contrast to the bright blue sky.

It’s a stunning transformation that take place every year – the landscape becomes a sea of gold as kilometres of oil crops reach full bloom. Rapeseed bursts into brighty coloured flowers in early spring.

Rapeseed is the seed of the rape or rapeseed plant, a member of the mustard family. Unfortunate associations with the name of this plant aside, rapeseed is actually a major crop in many nations of the world, with the seeds being one of the principal components of the crop, although some cultures also eat the stalks, leaves, and flowers of rapeseed. For those who find the common name “rape” a bit offputting, this plant is also known as oilseed, rapa, rapaseed, or Brassica napus, more formally.

As the name “oilseed” suggests, the seeds of this plant are very high in oil. They can be ground into nutritious meal used in animal fodder, or pressed for the oil, which can be used for human food or in the production of biodiesel. Rapeseed greens are also popular in Asia, where they are eaten like other members of the Brassica genus, in a variety of dishes. Like other Brassicas, the greens have a slightly peppery bite.

The United States, Canada, India, Australia, and European Union also grow rapeseed.